Willing for special session if there is unanimity: Congress

Holding the opposition's "disruptionary tactics" responsible for not allowing passage of the food security and land acquisition bills in parliament's budget session, the Congress Saturday expressed its willingness for a special session if the other parties were agreed.

Congress spokesperson P.C. Chacko also said that the party will take "disruptionary tactics" of the opposition to the people, alleging they had displayed "least inclination" towards passing pro-people legislations like the two bills.

He said the new bill on land acquisition provides for better compensation to land owners and has provision for rehabilitation and resettlement.

Chacko said Congress president Sonia Gandhi had spoken to Bharatiya Janata Party leader Sushma Swaraj as the UPA government wanted the opposition to realise benefits of the bills.

He said the Congress had never closed the option on resignation of union ministers Pawan Kumar Bansal and Ashwani Kumar, a demand vociferously raised by the opposition parties, and the reason for the latter part of the budget session's second half being washed out.

Asked about the possibility of a special session to pass the two bills, Chacko said the Congress was not against it.

"We are not against it and a session means that it should be a unanimous decision. We are ready to give one more opportunity to the opposition and if they are ready, we are ready to discuss," he said.

"We believe that bills should have been passed and we want to pass this at the earliest opportunity. We would like to convey this to the opposition and if it needs a special session then yes," Chacko added.